It’s important to not overstate the importance of preseason football. For the most part, these games are for the roster bubble guys to get a chance to prove themselves, but there are useful takeaways we can glean. Here are the most important players from each team fantasy football managers should watch out for.
Who Are the Top Fantasy Players To Watch for All 32 Teams in Preseason?
Arizona Cardinals: WR Michael Wilson
We know Marvin Harrison Jr. is locked in as the Cardinals’ WR1. There also aren’t any questions about Kyler Murray, Trey McBride, or James Conner leading their positions. The main guy fantasy managers should focus on is the team’s WR2.
Michael Wilson is competing with free agent acquisition Zay Jones. This is important for two reasons. First, whoever wins this job will be worth a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts. Second, this is an inflection point for Wilson as an NFL player. If he can’t beat out the journeyman, it would be a pretty harsh indictment of Wilson’s ability.
Atlanta Falcons: TE Kyle Pitts
There’s no concern over Kyle Pitts’ role in the offense. This is about his ability to perform.
Pitts has been hyped to the moon each of the past two seasons and has thoroughly underwhelmed. Given the reports that Pitts wasn’t fully healthy last season, if Pitts does play in the preseason, we want to see what he looks like running routes. Are his cuts sharper? Is he faster? Can he get open?
If Pitts looks like the guy we saw as a rookie, that would not only make fantasy managers more bullish on him this season but also likely spike his ADP.
Baltimore Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman
The Ravens typically don’t play starters at all in the preseason. Even if they do, we know who Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, and Derrick Henry are. The only real fantasy-relevant question mark on this offense is Rashod Bateman.
Now entering his fourth season, Bateman has not even come close to fantasy relevance yet. However, we have gotten a lot of offseason coach-speak about Bateman being in store for a big year. If he does play in the preseason, let’s see if he looks the part.
Buffalo Bills: WR Keon Coleman
The Bills typically have their starters play a little bit in the preseason. We should get a chance to see Keon Coleman work with Josh Allen. But even if we don’t, whether the rookie can get open and make plays is something fantasy managers want to pay attention to.
This team has no clear WR1 at the moment. Coleman will compete with Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir for targets at the wide receiver position.
Coleman is already a solid late-round dart throw due to the ambiguity. If that ambiguity gets cleared up at all in the preseason, it could make Coleman even more of a value … or too expensive to draft.
Carolina Panthers: QB Bryce Young
Given his performance as a rookie, it would be a surprise if Bryce Young didn’t see meaningful action in the preseason. There are a couple of other players of interest on this team, particularly rookie WR Xavier Legette and rookie RB Jonathon Brooks. However, this team is going to fail or succeed based on how much of a step forward Young takes.
We all watched Young play last year. It wasn’t pretty. What we’re looking for in the preseason are noticeable signs of progress. Is he making better decisions? Are his throws accurate? Does he look comfortable in the pocket? If Young does look a lot better, that should give fantasy managers a lot more confidence to draft Panthers skill position players.
Chicago Bears: QB Caleb Williams
It remains to be seen if veterans like DJ Moore or Keenan Allen see any preseason action. But one guy who definitely will play is the Bears’ starting QB, as he’s never played in the NFL before.
The Bears have a lot of fantasy weapons. In addition to Moore and Allen, they have Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and Cole Kmet. If there is any hope for all of them to be impactful fantasy assets, Caleb Williams has to be as good as advertised.
Of course, a quality preseason showing doesn’t automatically mean Williams will pan out. But we’d much rather see him play well than play poorly. Williams is undoubtedly the one to watch on the Bears this preseason.
Cincinnati Bengals: WR Jermaine Burton
The Bengals don’t typically play starters at all in the preseason. Perhaps that will change, given that Joe Burrow is coming off wrist surgery and the team has a competition at running back. One guy who will definitely see preseason action is rookie WR Jermaine Burton.
With Tyler Boyd gone, the Bengals have an opening at WR3. Andrei Iosivas is currently the favorite for that role, but the third-round rookie Burton is not without talent. He fell down draft boards largely due to off-the-field concerns.
Focus on Burton’s performance, as well as when he is in the game. If he shows signs of pushing Iosivas for the WR3 role, Burton may very well be worthy of a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts.
Cleveland Browns: QB Deshaun Watson
This was a tough one because the Browns actually have a lot of question marks from a fantasy perspective regarding players beyond WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku. There could be as many as four additional fantasy-relevant players … or zero. But the guy that will determine all of this is the quarterback.
Deshaun Watson played just six games in 2022 and looked quite rusty after sitting out the 2021 season and being suspended for the first 11 games of 2022. In 2023, Watson again played only six games due to a shoulder injury.
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We’re looking for two things if Watson plays in the preseason. First and foremost, does he look healthy? His arm strength and accuracy will be most telling.
Second, does he look good? When Watson has been on the field the past two seasons, he hasn’t come close to resembling the elite QB1 we remember from his Houston days.
Performing well in the preseason certainly won’t guarantee Watson does well in the regular season. However, performing poorly against backups doesn’t exactly bode well for his prospects. Keep a close eye on how Watson looks.
Dallas Cowboys: RB Rico Dowdle
The Cowboys typically do not play starters at all in the preseason. Given how prolific the offense was last season, it is unlikely we will see Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, or Jake Ferguson get any action.
Right now, the biggest point of uncertainty in this offense is the running back position. With Tony Pollard gone, the Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott who will share touches with Rico Dowdle. Elliott probably won’t play in the preseason, but I suspect Dowdle will. How Dowdle looks could go a long way in determining how big of a role he has and whether he’s someone fantasy managers should be interested in drafting.
Denver Broncos: QB Bo Nix
The Broncos are putting a lot of faith in their rookie quarterback, a guy many analysts feel was overdrafted. The fantasy outlooks of Courtland Sutton, Javonte Williams, and the rest of the Broncos offense heavily ride on how well Bo Nix is able to perform as a rookie.
Nix will definitely get on the field in the preseason. He may see extensive playing time. Fantasy managers considering the Broncos’ offensive weapons will want to pay close attention to how Nix performs.
Detroit Lions: WR Jameson Williams
There’s not much uncertainty regarding the Lions’ top fantasy weapons. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta are elite options at their respective positions. David Montgomery is a solid RB2. Jared Goff is a solid QB2/streamer. The only other player on this offense that might be fantasy-relevant is third-year WR Jameson Williams.
The Lions typically hold all of their key players out of preseason games. We’re not likely to see any of the aforementioned players … except Williams. The former first-round pick has gotten a lot of buzz during training camp. What he does in the preseason can certainly help fantasy managers determine whether they want to take a chance on the breakout this season.
Green Bay Packers: RB MarShawn Lloyd
To be candid, I could’ve listed any of the wide receivers here as well. The Packers have a lot of potentially impactful fantasy weapons but few guaranteed ones.
While the WR situation is interesting, fantasy managers should be more focused on the performance of rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd. We know Josh Jacobs is the starter, but whether this is a 70/30 split or more of a 55/45 split will be heavily dependent on how much Lloyd can impress his coaches.
Head coach Matt LaFleur is known for utilizing a committee. Lloyd could end up more valuable than fantasy managers are projecting. Be sure to keep tabs on how he looks in the preseason.
Houston Texans: RB Dameon Pierce
For better or worse, there really isn’t much to see with the Texans this preseason. It’s highly unlikely C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, or Dalton Schultz can do anything in their limited playing time to change fantasy managers’ minds.
Last year, Dameon Pierce raised his ADP by over a full round when he appeared to be a three-down back. We later learned that was just the Texans wanting to get him his reps and get him out.
With Mixon the clear starter, combined with Pierce’s dreadful performance last season, it will be worth noting if Pierce looks better this year. That will help us determine if Pierce has any value as a Mixon handcuff … or if Pierce would be worth picking up in the event he gets traded to an RB-needy team.
Indianapolis Colts: WR Adonai Mitchell
It’s safe to say everyone is excited to see what QB Anthony Richardson can do throughout a full season, but we’re not going to really learn anything watching him play exhibition games.
The most intriguing player on the Colts right now is rookie WR Adonai Mitchell. The only thing that is certain on this team is that Michael Pittman Jr. is the WR1. Mitchell could be as high as the WR2 or as low as the WR4, behind both Josh Downs and Alec Pierce.
Pay attention to when Mitchell plays in preseason games, as well as how he performs. It could clue us into what his role might look like when the games actually count.
Jacksonville Jaguars: WR Brian Thomas Jr.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that so many of the players we’re interested in are rookies. Brian Thomas Jr. is a prospect with a very high ceiling but also a very low floor.
As a rookie, Thomas has the chance to start in two-receiver sets but could also find himself behind Gabe Davis. If Thomas performs well in preseason games, that could cement his status opposite Christian Kirk as Trevor Lawrence’s WR2. If he performs poorly, we may end up with a guy fantasy managers drop early in the season due to a lack of playing time.
Kansas City Chiefs: RB Deneric Prince
The Chiefs are a team that always plays starters in the preseason. We likely won’t see any of them in the first game, but head coach Andy Reid always gives Patrick Mahomes and friends a couple of series in the final two games.
While we should definitely be interested to see how Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy look, RB Deneric Prince is the guy I’m most interested in seeing.
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Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the presumptive favorite to be the RB2 behind Isiah Pacheco. But apparently, Prince has been the second man during training camp drills. The order in which these players enter preseason games will determine how much that actually means.
The Chiefs’ RB2 is worthy of being selected in fantasy drafts. If that guy is going to be Prince, we want to know.
Las Vegas Raiders: TE Brock Bowers
For the Raiders, we’re going with the obvious one. Brock Bowers has been labeled a generational prospect at the tight end position. The preseason will be his first opportunity to prove worthy of that distinction.
It’s unclear how new head coach Antonio Pierce will handle starters in the preseason. Regardless of what he does, all rookies are very likely to play.
Fantasy managers should focus mostly on Bowers’ performance. Does he look the part? Volume is not necessarily going to be worth reading into, as Bowers likely won’t be sharing the field with Davante Adams until Week 1.
Los Angeles Chargers: RB J.K. Dobbins
The fact that J.K. Dobbins is at practice at all coming off a torn Achilles, his second serious lower-body injury, is impressive in its own right. It’s been a long time since Dobbins was truly healthy. But when he was, this was an incredibly talented runner who averaged 6.0 yards per carry as a rookie.
There’s a very real chance Dobbins never gets back to the player he was. In fact, it’s more likely than not. It’s also something we’ll be able to effectively evaluate when we see him on the field.
Dobbins hasn’t taken a preseason snap since the one he tore his ACL on two years ago. Given that the Chargers backfield is an open competition, fantasy managers should keep a keen eye on how Dobbins looks. If the explosiveness is back, he’ll be someone rapidly climbing up draft boards in late August.
Los Angeles Rams: RB Blake Corum
Since Sean McVay took over as head coach for the Rams, no starter has played a single snap in the preseason. We are not going to see Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, or Cooper Kupp. We may not even see Demarcus Robinson.
One guy we should see is rookie RB Blake Corum. While Corum is not a threat to Williams’ RB1 status, it is still worth seeing how Corum performs. As the primary handcuff to Williams, knowing that Corum is capable of stepping in for an injured Williams and handling a heavy workload is key for our confidence in drafting the rookie.
Miami Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright
The Dolphins’ decision to draft another running back seemed perplexing at first. When you realize De’Von Achane struggled to stay healthy last year and Raheem Mostert is 32 years old, it suddenly makes more sense.
Jaylen Wright is a perfect fit in Mike McDaniel’s run-friendly scheme. He won’t have any fantasy value to start, but if Achane or Mostert miss time, Wright will see the field. Use the preseason to evaluate how he looks.
It is unlikely that both Achane and Mostert play all 17 games. Knowing Wright is capable of producing when called upon will give fantasy managers more confidence in drafting or, more likely, picking Wright up during the season when the time comes.
Minnesota Vikings: QBs Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy
For the Vikings, we want to see both of these guys. Justin Jefferson’s price in fantasy drafts went from consensus overall WR1 to the second half of the first round due entirely to the team downgrading at QB from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold/J.J. McCarthy.
Preseason is obviously not necessarily indicative of how quarterbacks will perform in real games. Look no further than how incredible Kenny Pickett looked last August as an example. But we certainly want to see Darnold and McCarthy playing well as opposed to the alternative. If they look good, that could help ease concerns fantasy managers may have when deciding whether to push the button on Jefferson.
New England Patriots: WR Ja’Lynn Polk
There is a bevy of players fantasy managers should be interested in seeing in the preseason. Outside of Rhamondre Stevenson, there is no clear fantasy-relevant player on the Patriots.
The first thing worth paying attention to is who plays when. DeMario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne project to be the team’s top two receivers. But what if rookie Ja’Lynn Polk impresses? This is not a difficult depth chart to climb.
We want to see evidence of his talent and then have confidence that Polk will be able to ascend to the WR1 role as the season goes on.
New Orleans Saints: RB Kendre Miller
It feels wrong to say this, but time is running out for Kendre Miller. Despite him only being in his second season, his coaches are getting frustrated with his inability to stay on the field.
The Saints very much want Miller to seize the lead rusher role, allowing them to take some of the pressure off of the declining Alvin Kamara. So far, Miller hasn’t been able to do so. The preseason will be his chance to show he’s improved.
I’d be lying if I said I was optimistic. But regardless, we definitely want to see what Miller can do.
New York Giants: RBs Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr.
What? No Malik Nabers? Of course, we are excited to see Nabers. However, there’s nothing to learn when it comes to the rookie WR. He’s an elite talent who will immediately be the Giants’ WR1.
Fantasy managers should be far more interested in how this backfield plays out. Devin Singletary is the presumptive starter, but he’s not exactly this amazing talent. If the rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. plays well enough, he could push Singletary for early-down work. It’s a situation we need to monitor and one to pay attention to when the Giants take the field in the preseason.
New York Jets: WR Malachi Corley
We already know Aaron Rodgers is not playing a snap in the preseason. It’s hard to imagine the rest of the starters will see much action, if at all.
One guy who will definitely play is rookie WR Malachi Corley. He’s been getting positive reviews out of training camp.
Primarily a screen specialist in college, it will be interesting to see if Corley can run a full route tree. How the Jets utilize him in the preseason may give us a clue as to what his upside is as a fantasy asset during the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Russell Wilson
We know who the fantasy-relevant guys on the Steelers are. What we don’t know is how valuable they will be. This team brings a lot of uncertainty between the departure of Diontae Johnson, the arrival of new OC Arthur Smith, and the overhaul of the QB room with all three guys from last year no longer on the team.
Russell Wilson is going to start Week 1, but I believe he won’t last more than half the season as the starter. How Wilson looks in the preseason could help us predict if or when Justin Fields might take over.
Philadelphia Eagles: RB Will Shipley
The Eagles don’t play starters during the preseason. Saquon Barkley may be a new addition to the team this year, but it’s highly unlikely we see him before Week 1. The rest of the offense is returning from last year. That leaves rookie RB Will Shipley as the most interesting player to get a glimpse of for fantasy purposes.
Kenneth Gainwell is still the presumptive RB2 behind Barkley, but it will still be beneficial to see what Shipley can do. If something were to happen to Barkley, Gainwell is likely to share the backfield with someone. If we know Shipley can play at a high level, he could be a sneaky in-season pickup if Barkley is sidelined.
San Francisco 49ers: WR Ricky Pearsall
The 2024 49ers are going to look very much like the 2023 49ers. Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle will see just about all of the touches in this offense.
With one of Aiyuk or Samuel almost certainly gone after this season, the 49ers drafted their WR2 of the future, Ricky Pearsall. While Pearsall is unlikely to make much of an impact this season, there’s a very high chance Aiyuk and Samuel won’t both play every game this year. Pay attention to how Pearsall does in preseason action, as he would be the primary beneficiary if one of the 49ers’ top two WRs had to miss time.
Seattle Seahawks: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
It’s unclear if the new coaching staff will play veterans in the preseason. If they do, we definitely want to note how sophomore WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being used.
Last year, JSN underwhelmed despite his first-round draft capital due to being trapped behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Will new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb allow Smith-Njigba to run more downfield routes rather than be limited to underneath stuff like last year? If so, JSN might be a tremendous value in fantasy this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: RB Bucky Irving
Rachaad White was fed massive volume last year, despite being one of the least efficient runners in the league. Perhaps the Bucs wanted to ease his workload but just didn’t have the personnel.
This year, the Bucs drafted Bucky Irving, who should immediately become the team’s RB2 behind White. If Irving can play well, he could eat into White’s workload.
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Volume is what made White valuable. This is something fantasy managers really need to be mindful of. If Irving is going to handle 8-10 carries a game, that will lower White’s upside; if Irving is the goal-line back, that might make White undraftable at his ADP.
Tennessee Titans: QB Will Levis
Under former head coach Mike Vrabel, the Titans did not play starters in the preseason. New head coach Bill Callahan comes from Cincinnati, where they never played starters in the preseason either. It’s entirely possible we don’t see anyone of relevance take the field.
Given that Will Levis is only in his second season and his first as the unquestioned starter, it seems more likely than not that he sees some action. Levis’ progress as a passer is paramount to the fantasy values of every Titan.
For a team that wasn’t particularly good last year, the Titans sure have a bunch of fantasy-relevant options. Levis appearing to have taken a huge step forward would be a strong indicator all Titans are being undervalued in fantasy drafts.
Washington Commanders: RB Austin Ekeler
We have no idea if a veteran like Austin Ekeler will play in the preseason. If he does, he will be one of the most important players to watch.
Based on his play last year, at 29 years old, Ekeler looks to be a player in significant decline. However, there is a chance his drop in efficiency last season was due to his ankle injury.
Seeing how Ekeler looks in preseason action would go a long way toward concluding why Ekeler struggled last season. Most importantly, it would provide insight as to whether we should expect him to bounce back in 2024.